Hewitt's Red Rock Hare

Open encyclopedia reference

Hewitt's red rock hare (Pronolagus saundersiae) is a species of rabbit in the family Leporidae found in South Africa, Eswatini, and Lesotho. It is a medium-sized, densely furred rufous and brown rabbit that behaves similarly to other red rock hares, with a preference for higher elevated rocky habitats. Previously classified as a subspecies of Smith's red rock hare (Pronolagus rupestris), it is now regarded as its own species.

Like other red rock hares, P. saundersiae is nocturnal, and is presumed to feed on grasses, herbs, and shrubs. Its breeding patterns are also presumed to be similar to those of other red rock hares, with females producing three to four litters of altricial young each warm season. The species is predated upon by Verreaux's eagle, Cape eagle-owls, and leopards. It is considered a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is said to be "abundant" throughout its range, despite not being protected by any specific conservation measures. As a result of habitat loss caused by humans, the global population is expected to decrease.

Wikipedia contributors, Hewitt's red rock hare; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:31:05.319509+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Pronolagus saundersiae Hewitt, 1927

Name authority

Hewitt, 1927

Common name

Hewitt's Red Rock Hare

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Lagomorpha

Family

Leporidae

Genus

Pronolagus

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderLagomorpha Brandt, 1855
12. familyLeporidae Fischer, 1817
13. genusPronolagus Lyon, 1904
14. speciesPronolagus saundersiae Hewitt, 1927

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Pronolagus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 43 records assigned to Leporidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1089928 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:6W9PV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.